Holiday biscotti + Nicolas Winding Refn

I cannot wait for “Drive” to arrive here but the first time I ever heard of Nicolas Winding Refn was when he got a prize in Cannes this year; since I am a very curious creature I looked him up at IMDb, which got me to “Bronson”; now I cannot wait to watch two movies from that director. :)

And because I am a very curious creature I do not know why it took me so long to try biscotti for the first time; now that I have, I’m completely hooked – you wouldn’t believe how many biscotti recipes I have bookmarked already.

Holiday biscotti
slightly adapted from the wonderful Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook

3 cups (420g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup (56g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup (73g) dried cranberries
2/3 cup (86g) unsalted pistachios
1 large egg, extra, lightly beaten, for brushing

Preheat oven to 190°C/375°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating to incorporate after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture, and mix on low speed until combined. Mix in cranberries and pistachios.
Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape each piece into a 40x5cm (16x2in) log, and transfer to prepared baking sheet, about 7cm (3in) apart. With the palm of your hand, flatten logs slightly. Brush beaten egg over surface of the dough logs, and sprinkle generously with sugar.
Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until logs are slightly firm to touch, about 25 minutes. Transfer logs on parchment paper to a wire rack to cool slightly, about 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 150°C/300°F; line two large baking sheets with baking paper.
Place logs on a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut logs crosswise on the diagonal into 1.25cm (½in) thick slices. Place onto prepared sheets, 2.5cm (1in) apart. Bake until firm to touch, about 30minutes. Remove pan from oven; let biscotti cool completely on sheets.
Biscotti can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Makes about 4 dozen – I halved the recipe above and got 18 biscotti